Trump and Xi Agree to Launch Trade Talks

President Trump agreed with Xi Jinping to launch a new round of high-level trade talks between the U.S. and China as the leaders of the two countries sought to ease commercial tensions that have been rattling the global economy, as the FT reports.

Fighting Children

President Trump compared Russia and Ukraine to two fighting children who needed to work out their differences for a while before anyone could intervene, as the NYT reports.

NATO Nears Deal for Giant Military Spending Increase

NATO leaders appear to be on track for an agreement to more than double their target for defense spending — to 5 percent of annual economic output — by using some creative number-crunching to please President Donald Trump, who has demanded the increase, as The Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Gain the ethical leadership skills and strategic insights essential to navigating today’s complex global landscape. The AILA International Fellowship equips participants with the tools and agile mindset needed to tackle the challenges of our rapidly changing landscape. Apply by June 6th.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries—in their own words.

Listen here: "The Golden Dome as a Service: Pushing the Envelope on DOD Use of Commercial" with CSIS's Clayton Swope.

In That Number

50 per cent

Trump has threatened to impose 50 per cent tariffs on EU imports on July 9 unless a deal is reached with Brussels.
Source: FT

Critical Quote

“Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy. They hate each other, and they’re fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don’t want to be pulled. Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.”

—President Donald Trump

iDeas Lab

New satellite image acquired earlier today, June 5, 2025, shows that North Korea has successfully completed initial salvage operations on the second Choe Hyon-class DDGHM. Read the full analysis here.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.) U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hold a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on June 5, 2025 in Washington, DC.

This Town Upcoming

Tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m., the CSIS America Program holds discussion exploring the implications of Mexico’s recent judicial reform.

Then, on Monday, at 1:00 p.m., the CSIS Wadhwani AI Center hosts a conversation on building an autonomous future for the DOD.

Later, on Wednesday, at 4:00 p.m., the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program discusses the national and global security implications of agrobiodiversity loss.

Video

Today, the CSIS Defense and Security Department hosted General Andrew Poppas, Commanding General for the United States Army Forces Command, to discuss Army force readiness, emerging threats, and transformation in warfighting. Watch the video here.

Podcasts

This week, Michael J. Green spoke with Ian Storey, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, on Russia’s strategic pivot to Southeast Asia.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Now that I’ve posted extensively about the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary album, “The Music Never Stopped,” I’d like to advocate that the “Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh” shows that took place last March be turned into an album. The extraordinary musicianship during these shows is just about unmatched. Relix has been issuing clips for the past few months. The latest, “Not Fade Away,” hit YouTube yesterday. Put out an album!!!

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.